


Split

by Purpleologist



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma literally splits LB and CN into two different personalities, F/M, Mari's jealous of LB for being with Chat, Split Personalities, This is nutso
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 04:37:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10712331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpleologist/pseuds/Purpleologist
Summary: When an Akuma with the ability to split someone into two people zaps Ladybug and Chat Noir, at first, nothing happens. Maybe it was because they were already two seperate people or maybe it was because of the Miraculous', but when the zap finally does take effect, they find that their civilian personalities and superhero personalities have diverged, leaving Marinette, Adrien, and Ladybug to deal with flirty, pun-making Chat Noir as they try to save the city.Summary sucks, but it'll make more sense once they split.





	1. Getting Complicated

**Author's Note:**

> So, after reading a fic where Mari was imagining who Chat was outside of the mask, I got an idea. What if Ladybug and Chat Noir were really separate people, who acted like their superhero selves out of the mask. At first I couldn't find a way to do it, but then I started thinking about Split, that creepy horror movie that came out a while ago ( I didn't watch it, just saw ads and stuff) and got an idea.

Ladybug thought that Akumas were hard to deal with, but this Akuma was by far the most difficult.

His name was Split, and his power was the ability to turn one person into two. She wasn't sure  _exactly_ how he'd been akumatized, but she knew it had something to do with a school play on Jekyll and Hyde. 

Anyway, it wasn't good.

Left and right, people were turning into two versions of themselves, mostly the good and the bad. Alya had been Split early on, and they'd found that Alya's 'dark side' was similar to that of her Lady Wifi self and her Dark Cupid self. Mocking, harsh and very much scary and diabolical. Of course, nothing had happened when Chloe had been hit, but that wasn't much of a surprise. 

It was over an hour into the fight, and most of the school had been Split, save for Ladybug and Chat Noir, of course. They were trying to find his Akuma item, but it was nearly impossible when dodging the blasts that would Split them in moments. 

It was extremely important that the heroes not be Split. Ladybug wasn't sure what would happen, but it surely wouldn't be good if they got hit regardless. Ladybug really did not want to see her 'dark side', not that she thought she had one, but surely everyone had one and she did  _not_ want to meet hers.

"M'lady, on your left!" Chat warned, nodding to where Split was coming around the corner and firing at her. Ladybug dodged easily, flipping to avoid the ray.

"How are we going to beat this?" She asked, exasperated. After barely getting any sleep the night before and then only being at school for less than hour to find that an Akuma was attacking, Ladybug was  _exhausted_.

"I don't know, Bugaboo. I could distract him-" Chat offered and Ladybug shook her head.

"We can't risk it. If you got shot, it'd be literal chaos because of your Cataclysm." She reasoned and he sighed.

"Well you can't very well go out and distract him. If  _you_ got shot, we'd have no idea how it'd affect your powers." He added, frowning.

"I think this is the first Akuma we'll have to surrender to." Ladybug admitted, sounding defeated. 

"We're not going to surrender!" Chat told her, grabbing her shoulders. "We can do this!" He was about to keep motivating her, when a ray of bright light from Split blinded them both temporarily, throwing them backwards and slamming them into the wall. Both heroes felt a burst of pain in their chests, moaning and groaning in pain. Whether it was from the impact with the wall or the magic of the blast, neither could open their eyes or even move.

* * *

 The black-haired girl opened her eyes, blinking away the blurry spots in her vision. What happened? Where was Chat? Raising a hand to her forehead, the girl found her lower arms covered in red fingerless gloves. Interesting. Standing up, she grunted when she felt a sharp pain in her foot. Possibly sprained, hopefully not broken. Maybe the Miraculous Cure could fix it. Reaching down, the girl found she was not wearing her suit. Instead, she was wearing a red tank-top with black polka dots, black jeans, almost knee-high red boots, and a red leather jacket.  _So red was a theme_. She thought to herself, picking up a shard of glass from the alley's debris.

Bluebell eyes ringed with red eyeshadow and black pigtails tipped in red stared back at her. She looked like Ladybug, but she wasn't wearing a mask. She was a civilian. The girl racked her brain, trying to remember what her name was. 

It wasn't Ladybug, she knew that.

But she didn't know what her name was besides that.

"You look lovely, m'lady." A familiar voice complimented and the girl looked over to find a boy who looked an awful lot like Chat giving her a once over. Messed-up blonde hair, mischievous green eyes. Except, he wasn't wearing his suit. Like her, he was wearing new clothes. A neon green t-shirt, black leather jacket, dark jeans and black combat boots with green detailing. He still looked like Chat, but she could've sworn he looked like someone else too.

"What happened?" Ladybug asked, feeling her earlobe to find her earrings safe and sound.... but still active. She didn't have powers, but she wasn't fully a civilian either. She was somewhere in between.

"All I remember is being hit by Split and then that paws-sitiviely painful feeling." Chat punned with a smirk. Ladybug rolled her eyes, turning to find a boy and girl lying against the alley wall not far away. Panicked, she ran over, feeling their pulses. They were both alive. Question was, who were they?

The girl had blue-black hair pulled back into twin pigtails, and she was wearing a white shirt with embroidery on one side with pink jeans and a black blazer. A pink purse was over her shoulder, clamped shut.

The boy, meanwhile, had blonde hair much like Chat's, except neater, and he was wearing a black shirt with stripes, jeans and a white overshirt that was covered in dirt. 

The boy had one arm over the girl's side protectively, and Ladybug could only assume they were boyfriend-girlfriend.

"Well, Buginette, what should we do with them?" Chat asked, watching the boy warily. It was uncanny how similar the two were, but Ladybug just could put a finger on where she knew the boy.

"We should get them to the hospital. They could be seriously injured." She reasoned, hoisting the girl up with ease. Chat did the same with the boy, and Ladybug was again struck by their similarity when she realized the two were the same height.

"C'mon, hot stuff." Chat muttered to the unconscious boy, groaning when he looped his arm over his shoulder. 


	2. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette wakes up to find out that a girl who looks a lot like Ladybug has saved her life... except that logic doesn't exactly add up, considering she's Ladybug.
> 
> Meanwhile, Chat Noir wishes that Ladybug would've let him pick their alter ego names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After getting tons of good feedback (as well as some complaints that the chapter counter only said that there was one), I decided to up my schedule and write the second chapter right now.

Marinette groaned as she opened her eyes, bright lights blinding her as she came around. What happened? Last she remembered, she and Chat had been hit by Split and slammed into the wall. Now she was... 

It took a moment to reorient herself.

Now she was at a hospital.

As herself.

Not Ladybug.

_Where was Tikki?_

And, for that matter,  _where was Chat?_

Had he seen her? Had they been affected by the ray? Did Hawkmoth have their Miraculous'? Was Paris in absolute ruin all because stupid Marinette hadn't gotten enough sleep? Was the end of the world all her fault?

"Marinette, you're okay!" Alya cried, hugging her best friend tightly. Marinette winced, pressing a hand to her side. Broken ribs. But... shouldn't the suit have protected her against that? "Well, not entirely, I guess." She reconsidered, pulling back to take a better look at her injured friend.

"What happened?" Marinette asked groggily, still shaking off the pain.

"A boy and girl found you and Adrien in an alley. They practically saved your lives!" Alya explained excitedly, pulling out her phone and clicking a video.

On screen, a girl wearing a very red and black outfit smiled somewhat sheepishly while the blonde boy next to her winked at the camera.

" _Thanks you so much for saving my friends!_ " On-screen Alya said, thanking the two teenagers. " _You two are my heroes, right after Ladybug and Chat Noir!_ " The two teens shared a glance before turning back to Alya.

"It's no problem. I'd do anything to protect my fellow Parisians." The girl said humbly.

"Quit being modest, Bugaboo, we're heroes. We couldn't just let a princess and her knight get hurt." The boy interjected and something in the pit of Marinette's stomach swam when the boy had caller her a princess. That nickname was eerily familiar. And he had called the girl Bugaboo. That was Chat's nickname for her. Why was this boy calling the girl Bugaboo? Unless...

Unless that boy was Chat Noir.

And he thought the girl was Ladybug.

Marinette couldn't help but scowl slightly. That girl, while holding a strong resemblance to Marinette (okay, she could've been her twin, but still), was not Ladybug. There was only one Ladybug, and it was Marinette. Who was she, to have the right to trick Chat like that?

" _Could I get your names for my LadyBlog_?" Alya inquired on-screen. The boy and girl stood there quietly for a few minutes, trading glances that seemed to hold an entire conversation in between them.

"Uh, I'm Laila. Laila Bell." The girl said.

"And I'm Cole Newton." The boy answered.

" _Well, thanks again, Laila and Cole. You save two of my very best friends today."_ Video-Alya finished and then real-life Alya turn to Marinette.

"Aren't they the coolest? They're practically Ladybug and Chat Noir cosplayers!" Alya squealed and Marinette nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Are... are they still around?" Marinette asked hopefully. If she could just talk to Laila and Cole, she could understand what had happened. Why they'd found her. If they'd seen her detransform. Why Adrien was found along with her. She had to get answers, one way or another.

"No, they left after the video. Said they had to go somewhere. I think they're a couple." Alya theorized and Marinette frowned. Whoever this Laila girl was, she was tricking Chat/Cole by making him think she was Ladybug and it infuriated her.

* * *

 

"Why couldn't I make my name a cat pun?" Cole complained, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Because that'd be too obvious." Laila explained, glancing at her partner. "Be glad I agreed to making our initials match out superhero names."  She teased, crouching on the roof of a building across the street from the hospital. Behind her, Cole was pacing back and forth, his heavy boots 'thunking' on the rooftop repetitively. It unnerved her. She was used to Chat being silent and stealthy, not loud and lumbering.

"Why are we watching these kids anyway? We saved them, we got our identities out of the way, we can move on!" He reasoned, huffing.

"Because there's something off about them. They were too... familiar." She reasoned, frowning.

"Haven't you looked around at all?" Cole asked and Laila threw him a puzzled glance. "There's posters of the guy all over the city. He's Adrien Agreste.  _The model_." He explained and Laila sighed.

"Great. Just what we need, more publicity." She complained, turning back to watch the hospital. "Have you managed to get your Kwami to come out?" She asked, rubbing her earring habitually. Behind her, she could tell Chat... Cole. She had to call him Cole while they were semi-civilians... was rubbing his ring nervously. Neither of them could find a way to get their Kwami's out of their Miraculous'.

Or find a way to take their Miraculous' off.

Sure, it wasn't encouraged to take them off, but Laila could vaguely remember taking hers off at one point, very early on. Except now, they were stuck. They couldn't turn into heroes, but they couldn't drop whatever it was over them.

"No. Y'know, believe or not, I actually miss Plagg and his constant complaining." Cole admitted. 

"Tikki would know what to do." Laila whispered quietly. Both of them could feel the absence of their Kwami's. They'd been a part of them for so long, it was like someone had cut away a part of them by making them go away.

"How are we going to fix the Akuma?" Cole asked, watching in the distance as Split terrorized Parisians. Laila held back a sob. It killed her to watch her home be held at the mercy of a monster.

"We can't." She said quietly. "We don't have powers, we don't have Kwamis. We don't even have normal civilian identities. We need to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it."

"How are we supposed to do that? Like you said, we don't have powers or Kwamis. We're just a couple of teenagers. Purr-fectly powerless." He punned sadly.

"We find the Guardian." Laila reasoned, standing up and stretching her legs. She frowned slightly, remembering that she was shorter than Cole. While it had never bothered her while they were heroes (because they were too busy beating up monsters to really care about height), it was far more noticeable now.

"Any ideas where he is?" Cole asked.

"None. There's only one place I can remember at the moment." Laila admitted.

"Where?" Cole inquired, hoping for the best.

"A bakery." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laila Bell = LB = LadyBug  
> Cole Newton = CN = Chat Noir
> 
> I am a genius (I have done this before. I named a main character Molly Chase).


	3. Meeting Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laila and Cole show up at the Tom and Sabine Patisserie, only to find the girl from the hospital. Oddly enough, she seems to act like she knows Cole.
> 
> Meanwhile, Mari just wants to make sure that Chat isn't beleiving Laila's 'lies'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, after laying down to go to bed, I came up with a really good few lines, and had to write.

Laila stood across the street from the bakery, watching patrons flock in and out. It was a popular place. A cute little corner shop, decorated in little handpainted logos and swirls. Why she remembered this place, she had no idea. If only Tikki were here to explain. Scarily, she was having trouble remembering her helpful Kwami. Laila could vaguely remember hearing somewhere that when you lose someone, their voice is the first thing your forget. Laila couldn't remember the sound of Tikki's voice, and it was scaring her. Tikki was the the only thing she could remember of being a civilian, and if she was slowly losing that, how long would it be before she couldn't even remember _being_ a civilian?

What if there was a point when all she was was Ladybug?

The thought made her shiver. Sure, being a hero was fun, but what about family? And friends?

Closing her eyes, Laila took a deep breath. The smell of cookies and sweet wafted across the street and she smiled. It smelled amazing. It smelled like home. But did she even know what home smelled like?

"That's where Princess lives." Cole said quietly, Laila looking over abruptly.

"Who?"

"Oh, uh, Marinette. When Evillustrator attacked, she was targeted and you had me protect her." He explained, blushing slightly. Chat Noir, blushing? His Miraculous must've done a number on him if he blushed at the mention of a girl.

"Right." For Laila, basically anything besides the fight in the library and the fight in the hotel between Evillustrator were hazy. She hated to admit it, but something told her she'd been on a date. With who and why, she had no idea. But maybe this bakery had a clue.

"You ready, m'lady?" He asked, holding out a hand like a gentleman. Laila snorted and rolled her eyes, walking ahead without his hand.

"I'm always ready, kitty. Learn to keep up."

* * *

Marinette sighed in relief, lying on her chaise as her mother placed a mug of cocoa on her desk. After the accident (which she still hadn't gotten any answers about), she just wanted to sleep. 

"Just let me know if you need anything, sweetheart. I'll be back in a few hours to give you your medicines." Her mother said, patting her little girl's head as she went downstairs. As soon as the trapdoor shut, Marinette jumped up, grimacing at the jolt of pain.

"Tikki?" She asked, barely above a whisper. Her earrings were inactive, meaning Tikki had to be here somewhere.

"I'm here, Marinette." The little Kwami replied, crawling out of the bag. Crawling. Not flying. Something was definitely wrong.

"Oh my gosh, Tikki, what's wrong?" Marinette asked worriedly, picking up the fairy and stroking her head. Her usually vibrant colors were faded and dull, and besides the obvious lack of flying, she just looked downright sick.

"There's something wrong with the Miraculous." Tikki explained, looking up at her Holder with big, sad blue eyes.

"Wrong how?" Marinette asked, panicking slightly. So something  _had_ happened when she and Chat had been hit by the ray.

"I can still feel a part of myself inside it. But not yours. There's another Ladybug, somehow. And a part of me is trapped inside her Miraculous." Tikki explained.

"Laila!" Marinette deduced, hurrying to her computer (although she hid the pain well, it still hurt like crazy). Pulling up the LadyBlog, Marinette and Tikki found almost a dozen posts, threads, and messages relating to the new 'heroes'.

**Is Laila Bell Ladybug? And Is Cole Newton Chat Noir?**

_Let's talk about how hot that Cole Newton guy is._

**Paris' Even Newer Heroes!**

_Is that Laila girl really Ladybug? She looks a lot like her._

Marinette's stomach swam as she scanned through the articles. Almost every LadyBlog member thought that Laila and Cole were Ladybug and Chat Noir. Except for one user.

ChatBoy

He was the only person openly protesting that they couldn't be the heroes. Or more of, protesting that Cole couldn't be Chat. He agreed that Laila was a plausible Ladybug, but he completely was against Cole. Marinette was about to open a private chat with Alya's recently installed messaging software, when her mother called up for her.

"Marinette, there's someone here to see you!" She called and Marinette sent Tikki a puzzled look. The Kwami only shrugged.

"Who is it?" She asked, getting up and lying back down on the chaise just in case she came upstairs.

"He says his name's Cole. Cole Newton." Marinette sucked in a breath, looking over at Tikki. 

"In a minute!" She answered, helping Tikki to hide in the jacket and then slowly and painfully climbing down the stairs.

* * *

 

Cole watched Marinette climb down the stairs, upset to see his Princess in so much pain. How had he not recognized her before? The dark black hair, the embroidered shirt. She had been wearing the same thing she wore on the day they met, for Chat's sake. She was probably the only girl in Paris with blue-black hair anyway, save for Ladybug. Or, Laila.

When Marinette turned around, she smiled, but he could tell it was forced. The poor girl was in a lot of pain. Sadly, Laila's plan rided on Marinette agreeing to take a walk with him.

"Care for a walk, Princess?" He offered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is ChatBoy. Obviously.


	4. Connecting the Dots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cole begins to feel... something for Marinette. He doesn't know exactly what, but then again, he can't remember much of anything anyway.
> 
> Meanwhile, Adrien is getting the cold shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, originally this was going to be a part of Chapter Three, but it was getting too long and too plot-filled, so I cut it and moved it.
> 
> Enjoy.

"You look different." She noted, taking a shaky breath. Any other time, it would've given away nerves, but now it only meant that with three broken ribs and a sprained elbow, she was hurting.

"New clothes." He explained, smirking at her cleverness. Of course she would've confront him outright, not with her mother in the room. "What do you think?" He asked, playing down his flirting in favor of helping her out the door and down the stairs.

"I think it looks good." She commented, almost indifferent. It shocked Cole how different this girl was to the enthusiastic bluenette he'd met on the day Evillustrator struck. She was so... so _sad_.

"Why thank you. It's always a pleasure knowing I can count on your fashion ex-purr-tise." He punned, earning a halfhearted giggle. He almost sighed. He was getting more a reaction from an injured Marinette than a normal Ladybug.

The rest of the trip down the stairs was in silence, interrupted only by Marinette's hisses of pain. They reached the downstairs door and Cole was almost tempted to stop their walk there. As soon as he walked through the door, it'd be all business. He'd actually enjoyed spending time with Marinette. Would it be so wrong to just hold off, for a minute or two, and enjoy her company?

He shook his head. Laila was waiting for him. He couldn't keep Ladybug waiting. _What was I even thinking anyway? It's not like I like Marinette like that or anything. She's just nice to be around, is all._ He reminded himself, opening the door to let Marinette out first. Once they'd cleared the door, Cole turned to Marinette with a sad smile.

"What do you know about the Guardian?" Laila asked, walking towards Marinette. At first, Cole was struck by how similar the two girls were. The same height, the same hair. Even the same eyes. The two could be twins.

"The Guardian?" Marinette asked, her hand snapping to the edge of her jacket abruptly. "The Guardian of what?"

"The Guardian of the Miraculous'." Laila specified, glancing to Cole for help. He shrugged, unsure of what to do. Unlike Ladybug, he'd never met the Great Guardian. Of course, from what they'd gathered, she'd visited as a civilian and thus, didn't remember a thing, but her choppy memories had led her here. Where they'd found her doppleganger. All Cole could remember was silence. Silence and cold. And a book. But nothing beyond that.

"I don't-" Marinette began, but was interrupted by a small, chirping voice.

"It's alright, Marinette. You can tell them the truth." A small, red thing said. It took Cole a moment to realize that that was her Kwami. But if that was her Kwami, that meant she had a Miraculous. And her Kwami looked like a ladybug, Which meant...

"You're Ladybug." Cole whispered, then turned to Laila. "Which means you're Marinette." 

"I guess I am." Laila said quietly.

"Yeah." Marinette said, just as quiet.

 _Okay, this is trippy. Laila and Marinette are the same person. And both are Ladybug._ It was at that point when Cole's mind gave up. The little hamsters that ran the wheels of his brain had gone on protest. And it seemed, in the process, he'd earned a new voice in his head.

_Yes, both are Ladybug. I mean, geez. How many chicks in Paris have blue hair?_

Cole could've sworn that was Plagg, shaming him for his hopeless crush on Ladybug.

 _It is me, kid._ Plagg's voice said, sounding annoyed.

"Wait, what?" He asked aloud, earning stunned looks from Laila and Marinette.

 _Sheesh. This is the last time I let you take a hit for the bug. I don't like your teenage boy mind. It's all dirty._ Plagg complained and Cole scowled.

"My mind is not dirty." He protested, crossing his arms.

"Cole, who are you talking to?" Laila asked, annoyed.

"Plagg." He explained.

"I thought you said you couldn't get Plagg to come out." Laila said, growing frustrated.

"I can't."

 _If your mind's not dirty, I don't love Camembert. I blame all those dumb animes you watch._ Plagg said, confusing Cole. 

 _I watched anime?_ He asked.

 _Too much for my liking. But I do respect the Japanese and their love for cats. Especially the cat-girls. I believe you called them Nekos._ Plagg explained.

 _That's... dorky._ Cole decided.

 _News flash kid, you're a dork._ The Kwami's accusation took Cole by surprise. How could he, of all people, be a dork? He was cool, and suave, and freaking Chat Noir. He couldn't be a dork. 

"I'm a dork." Cole muttered, annoyed at Plagg yet again. Why had he ever missed the lazy bum?

* * *

Adrien paced the length of his room, ignoring the pain that was routinely pulsing in his left leg. He'd shattered his leg into pieces, infuriating his father and puzzling him. His suit buffered his injuries. It should've been a bruise, a swollen ankle at most. What had happened when he'd been hit by that ray? Had it compromised the suits? Had it broken his Miraculous? Though he doubted it, he looked down at his silver ring anyway. It looked fine. But something was up. He knew because Plagg had been unconscious since the fight. Checking up on the little Kwami, Adrien walked over to his bed, where Plagg was laying on a pillow.

The Kwami's once black coloring was now a dull grey, scaring Adrien. Usually, he didn't worry about Plagg too much. He was lazy and mooched off his money for more cheese. But when he found him unconscious and sickly in his coat pocket, it shook him to the bones. Who would you call if you had a sick Kwami? You couldn't very well call the vet.

When he'd first gotten home, Adrien had checked the LadyBlog for any news regarding Split. The only articles were about Laila Bell and Cole Newton. The kids who had saved him and Marinette. Plenty of people theorized that they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, given that they looked exactly like them. Of course, Adrien knew better. That Cole guy couldn't be Chat if Adrien was Chat. Which he was. On the other hand, Laila could very well be Ladybug, and all the while some... some  _copycat_ was playing it up as her partner! He's openly protested Cole on the LadyBlog, earning a lot of hate, but regardless, he hated the fact that some alley cat was impersonating him to get to his Lady. 

Adrien's inner rant was interrupted by the abrupt coughing of his Kwami.

"Plagg?" Adrien asked hopefully, leaning down to look at the little creature he'd grown to love.

"Kid, you need to see the Guardian." Plagg coughed out, barely able to open his eyes. "He'll know what to do."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who ya gonna call?
> 
> MASTER FU!


	5. Learning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien ventures to see Master Fu while Marinette, Laila, and Cole (the recently rediscovered dork) do the same to figure out this... complication.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in a while. I have a tendency to go AWOL on stuff like this.

Adrien kept his head down, covered by the grey sweatshirt that was keeping others from noticing him. Without Plagg at full strength, he couldn't transform, so he was forced the sneak around until he found the Guardian's lair, or whatever it was.

"Here, kid." Plagg croaked, peeking out of his pocket to point at an old massage shop.

"It looks... closed." Adrien remarks, peering in one of the windows to find no lights on whatsoever.

"Trust me kid, he'll be glad to see you." Plagg said, coughing.

"Okay, okay." He surrendered, trying to open the door. "Never mind, it's locked."

"You're a superhero, you'll figure it out." Plagg told his holder, burrowing back into the depths of his pocket. "But... Ladybug solves the problems. I just wreck stuff..." Adrien pouted, remembering that Disney movie from a few years back. He'd enjoyed it, having literally nothing better to do than watch online movies at the time. "Wait that's it!" He cried, kneeling down and picking up a fairly large rock from the sidewalk. Turning back to the door, he grimaced, hoping that the Guardian would forgive him, and threw the rock through the window.

* * *

 

_Ten Minutes Before..._

Marinette crossed her arms as she stood outside the massage parlor with Laila and Cole... Ladybug and Chat.... herself and... whoever Chat Noir is in his civilian life. This was too confusing. 

"We are not smashing the window." Laila shot Cole down easily, as the blonde haired boy hoisted a rock in his hand.

"Well how else do we get in?" Cole asked, still refusing to put the rock down.

"Tikki?" Marinette asked, looking down at her purse. "Could you phase through it?"

"I can try." Tikki responded, crawling into Marinette's outstretched hand. Marinette held her hand up to the doorknob and the Kwami walked through above it, the door unlocking in moments and swinging open.

"Thanks, Tik." Laila said, picking the Kwami up off the doorknob and handing her back to Marinette.

"Just doing what I can!" Tikki replied cheerfully, before coughing and grimacing. "Let's hurry though. If I'm this bad now, Plagg and the other Chat won't be far behind us. " She advised.

* * *

 

_In The Present..._

A smash echoed through the empty parlor, carrying down the hall and to the room where the three teenagers sat. Marinette jumped, while Laila and Cole glanced at each other.

"You want one of us to go check it out?" Cole offered quietly, leaning towards Marinette. She nodded frantically, too afraid to do anything without Tikki there by her side. Cole glanced at Laila, who nodded and stood, creeping out into the hall. Marinette breathed a shaky sigh, bringing her knees up to her chest. 

"This is crazy." She murmured and Cole shrugged.

"You're saying this to the one and only... or, I guess one of the two, Chat Noir. My only thing I'm good for is jumping across rooftops and beating up bad guys." He teased, earning a frown from Marinette.

"That's not all you're good for." She said.

"Well, I wouldn't know... and honestly, neither would you. Right here?" He gestured to himself. "This is all you know about me. Obviously, you see me as a flirty troublemaker. Which I am. But there's got to be more to me than that, right? After all, Plagg says I'm a dork." He smiled.

"You're my dork." Marinette told him, ruffling his hair.

* * *

 

_Still In The Present..._

Laila frowned as she crept through the hall, hearing a boy's voice mumbling to himself in the otherwise silence. Muffled cuss words made her assume that he'd cut himself on the glass he'd broken and while he was distracted, she jumped, pinning him to the ground.

"Hey!" The blonde-haired boy cried, trying to wrestle Laila off him... and failing.

"Who are you?" She demanded fiercely, pinning his arms to the ground. The boy looked up her, not saying a word. His emerald green eyes shone in the light that came in off the street, while his golden blonde hair splayed out on the floor beneath him.

"Ladybug..." He whispered and she glared.

"No, I'm fairly certain you're not Ladybug." She remarked sarcastically and the boy's cheek turned a faint shade of pink.

"No, no, I mean  _you're_ Ladybug. Or, Laila Bell." He reasoned and Laila seemed stunned for a moment, before gripping his wrists even tighter.

" _Who are you?_ " She repeated, glaring daggers.

"You don't recognize me?" He asked, sounding puzzled.

"No, could you please enlighten me?" Laila replied sarcastically, growing annoyed by this boy's attitude. It was so much like Chat's. 

"Adrien, Adrien Agreste."  He introduced, smiling. "Now could you please let me up?"

"Fine." Laila said sourly, sitting up.  "As you already know, I'm Laila. Now why are you here?" She asked.

"I'm here to see the Guar- A friend." He corrected. "I'm assuming you're not him."

"You're Chat's other half." She reasoned and Adrien gaped.

"N-No! Why would you say that!" He cried, struggling to figure out how she'd cased him so quickly.

"Because I'm not an idiot. Come on."


	6. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen....

Of course, as soon as Laila and Adrien entered the small room in the back, they found Marinette and Cole sitting  _awfully_ close. 

"Are we interrupting something?" Laila asked, putting one hand on her hip. Marinette jumped, emitting a sharp squeal and flailing around the room, smacking Cole on the head during the ordeal.

"Marinette? What are you doing here?" Adrien asked, walking over and offering the bluenette a hand, seeing as she'd somehow found herself lying flat on the floor.

"Uh, I, friend help them. I mean, them help friends. I mean, they're my friends. I'm helping them." She babbled, turning a bright shade of red. A few feet away, Cole frowned, flattening his hair and making it look similar to Adrien's. This was the boy who was in the alleyway with Marinette. Were they... a thing? And, why did it matter to him?  Marinette was his Princess, sure, but he had his Lady. Albeit, there were a few... complications in the way things had been working, but if Marinette and this Adrien boy were a thing, what did that mean for him? 

It meant he'd let her do what she wanted. 

She was Ladybug's other half, after all. He wanted her to be happy. If his Princess, his Lady, liked this guy, then he'd be fine with it. It may break his heart into a million, teeny tiny pieces, but he'd deal. If it made her happy, he'd be happy for her.

"Now that that's settled, Chat, I'd like you to meet Adrien Agreste, your other half." Laila introduced bluntly.

" _WHAT?!?!_ _"_ Marinette and Cole yelled at the same time.

"You're Chat Noir?" Marinette asked Adrien, seeming to turn red and pale at the same time.

"Uh... yes?" Adrien admitted, smiling sheepishly. 

"Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god..." Marinette babbled, holding her hands to the sides of her head. "I can't believe I... that we.... I KISSED YOU!" She said, earning another loud outburst.

" _WHAT?!?!"_ Adrien and Cole yelled, eyes bugging.

"You- you kissed me?" Adrien asked, gaping. "When did this happen?"

"Yeah, I'm on the same page as hot stuff, when did that happen?" Cole asked, glancing between Laila and Marinette. Marinette grimaced at the mention of her old screw-up, confused as to how Chat Noir had heard it.

"It's a long story, but the gist is that when Dark Cupid shot you..." She began to explain, gesturing to Adrien, then to Cole. "I, er, we had to reverse the effect. True love's kiss was the first thing I thought of." Marinette admitted, looking up at the two boys sheepishly.

They both stared in silence, until Cole spoke up.

"Wait, so does that mean... that Ladybug and Chat Noir, me and you, Adrien and Marinette, are... true love?" Cole suggested, earning another sharp squeak from Marinette, who held her face in her hands mumbling. Adrien turned an abrupt shade of red, while Laila rolled her eyes.

"You can't be serious, Chat. It worked because it was the love of a  _partner_. True love doesn't always have to be romantic." She explained.

"But it's called true love's kiss for a reason. C'mon, there's got to be a part of you that agrees with this!" Cole argues. 

"Yeah, she's right there." Laila responded, gesturing to Marinette, who glanced up, face cherry red.

"L-look, that's not important right now. We need to fix this. If we don't Split, and Hawkmoth, will win." She mumbled.

"I agree with Ms. Dupain-Cheng. You have much more important matters at hand than a simple slip of the tongue." The Guardian, Master Fu, said, stroking his goatee. He smirked when all four teenagers jumped, staring at him. "Would anyone like some tea?"


	7. Solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the team's together, it's time for them to fix this mess they made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of right now, I'm thinking this will have about three more chapters, and then a very possible (almost definite) sequel.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Cole said, shaking his head. "You're saying we basically replaced the Kwami?" He asked, frowning.

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Master Fu began, before he was rudely interrupted by Laila.

"No, that's exactly what you said. You said that for them..." She gestured to Marinette and Adrien. "To transform, we need to go into the Miraculous'. That's basically a Kwami."

"Yeah, plus, won't that be weird?" Cole butted in.

"Allow me to explain further." Master Fu proposed, pouring more tea into Marinette's cup, which had been drained as soon as she sat down. "When the original Ladybug and Chat Noir were hit by Split's ray, it's not as if the civilian part or the hero part was taken out. They were torn in half."

"We kind of guessed, considering that his name is Split." Cole muttered sarcastically.

"To summarize, you cannot be Ladybug or Chat Noir without your other half. To transform, there must be absolute trust and belief in the other. You must trust them with your life. Then the Miraculous will choose which of you will be the 'driver' and which will be 'passenger', per say. One will play the role of the hero, while the other assists from inside the Miraculous." Master Fu explained.

"Like Firestorm!" Adrien cried, earning slightly confused looks from everyone in the room. He shrank down, before explaining himself. "It's an American superhero in a TV show I used to watch. They're a fusion-bound hero, comprised of a team of a teenager and a, ahem, older man. The teenager is the driver, like you said, and he's the eyes and ears for the older guy as they work together. Since the teenager is the more fit of the two, he's the 'body', while the man is the 'brain' since he's a really smart scientist."

"Oh." Cole said quietly, wondering how his other half could know so much about something so... unneeded. Seriously, a comic book superhero? "So, whichever one of us the better suited for the brain will go into the Miraculous?" He asked Master Fu.

"Indeed." He confirmed. "But you must trust each other, or you will undoubtedly fail."

"That's comforting." Laila deadpanned, glancing at Marinette, who had spent a good portion of this conversation curled up in a ball. How was she supposed to trust this girl when she barely knew her? But then again, that's what she did with Chat. Chat had sacrificed himself numerous times to protect her, and yet all they knew about each other was an alias.

But could she do the same with Marinette?

"There's one more thing, if you do succeed, there will be some consequences..." Master Fu began, as a sharp siren blared through the Paris streets. A loud speaker began playing a recorded message.

_'Paris has been placed under a state of emergency. All non-Split civilians are to evacuate the city. Ladybug and Chat Noir are missing in action, Mayor Bourgious has declared a state of emergency. I repeat, Paris has been placed under a state of emergency...'_

"Heroes or not, Paris needs us." Marinette said, determined. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. Our city needs us, and whether I have your help or not, I'm saving this city."

An identical thought flashed through Adrien and Cole's mind:  _"She's crazy... crazy amazing."_

Then a second though flashed through Adrien's mind:  _"Did she just quote the Arrow?"_

"Marinette's right." Laila piped in, giving the love-struck boys an annoyed eye-roll. "Paris is our home, and we can't leave it to the mercy of Hawkmoth. Are you two coming?" Cole and Adrien glanced at each other, before nodding.

"Definitely." They said in unison, each wearing an identical Chat Noir smirk. 

"That's gonna get annoying fast." Laila muttered, earning an amused giggle from Marinette. "Alright boys, let's go save Paris."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not absolutely love binge-watching Legend of Tomorrow, Arrow, Flash and Supergirl. They're some of my favorite TV shows.


	8. Earning Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Cole have a little "chat" while making weapons while Marinette and Laila attempt to pull a Firestorm.

"So, I get that we're technically the same people, but I'm just really curious about, like, what you.... know." Adrien asked, attaching a borrowed knife around the end of a large stick.  "Like... do you remember everything from being me? Because I remember being Chat-"

"I remember." Cole answered. "But only a few bits and pieces. Seeing you, knowing you're me, it spurred some memories."

"Like what?" Adrien asked curiously, glancing up as Cole rummaged through the small kitchenette for some knives. With the announcement that Ladybug and Chat Noir were missing in action, Paris had turned into a post-apocalyptic universe. Split was still roaming the streets and a majority of the Darker Halves were taking the opportunity to wreck as much havoc as possible. Most Parisians had either fled the city or hid in their homes, leaving four teenagers and a 186-year-old Guardian to save the city.... Luckily, Master Fu had a small kitchen in the back of his shop and had sent the boys to make some weapons while the girls did their best to do the whole soul-fusey-trust thing.

"Like... Christmas." Cole said quietly, choppy memories of the night flashing through his head. He remembered his time as Chat most clearly, of course, but he could vaguely remember the times between... Running away from home, a homemade hat, Santa Claus giving him camembert. He wasn't sure if that last part was real or just his imagination, but regardless, he remembered. "Marinette made us that hat?"

"Yeah..." Adrien agreed, smiling softly. "She's great like that." Cole took one look at that dopey grin and cursed himself for bringing up the adorable bluenette in the first place. He knew that grin. It was the same look he got whenever he heard someone talking about Ladybug. It was the look of someone in love.

"You like her, don't you?" Cole blurted out, gripping a large knife as he pulled it out of the drawer. Adrien's blush was more than enough of an answer, but still he regretted asking. "I'm sorry, I know how you feel about Ladybug, how  _I_ feel about Ladybug... but... don't tell me you haven't thought about it. If Ladybug wasn't a part of the picture, if you weren't a model, if you weren't Chat, if your father wasn't so restricting, if your mother-"

"Yes."

* * *

 

"Again." Master Fu instructed, leaning on a cane as Laila rolled her eyes.

"We've been doing this for over an hour and we've gotten nowhere!" She cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "Why don't Cole and Adrien do it? They seem to trust each other a whole lot more than I trust her!" Laila took a glance at Marinette, who was sitting on the couch with her hair down, the ribbons having been used to make weapons long ago. They didn't risk using Laila's, to keep up the appearance of her being Ladybug.

"Ladybug, if you would please calm down..." Master Fu said, throwing a glance at Wayzz, who rolled his large eyes as he sat next to where Tikki and Plagg were resting. Laila took a deep breath, sitting down next to Marinette. Despite physically being identical, spending the past hour with her had shown some of their major differences. While Laila was outspoken, Marinette was meek. That, above everything else, caused the most problems. Well, that and the whole "trust" thing.

"Look, Master Fu, I'm sorry, but the only person I trust is Chat. He's had my back more times than I can count. Marinette and I may be the same person, but... that doesn't mean I automatically mean I can trust her with my life." She explained. "Just... get Cole and Adrien to do it. Those two have hit it off."

"But they're not the ones who can fix this. We are." Marinette said, taking a shaky breath and standing up. She visibly winced when she stood and Laila grimaced. The poor girl had been through so much today. First she dealt with a crazy Akuma, then broke her ribs and had to deal with her identity being outed. "We have the ability to reverse all this damage, to set things straight. The moment we suit up, we can call game and... fuse together, I guess. Then one of us vanishes and the other stays and Ladybug and Chat Noir save the day and be home by dinner." Laila stared, running the words over and over in her head. Marinette  _was_ right. As helpful as Chat would be in a fight, the only way they could set things back to normal and fight things on their own terms would be to reverse this mess.

"Are you ready to try again?" Master Fu asked, smiling. Both girls nodded as Laila stood, looking Marinette in the eyes. A flash of agreement passed through them. It wasn't trust... more of a mutual agreement that they were both fighting for the same thing. For their city. For their family. For their partner.

Laila offered her hand and Marinette smiled weakly, taking it. When their hands met, there was a flash of pink light, filling the room. Master Fu and Wayzz shielded their eyes, looking away until the light died down. 

"You've  _got_ to be kidding me." Laila groaned, collapsing back onto the couch. Marinette moved to sit down and they both flinched.

"It seems as though you've achieved something." Master Fu mused with a curious smile. "Again?"

"Definitely." The girls said in unison as Laila stood up again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in forever but I got busy and inspiration was low. But after starting to read Ferisae's You Don't Know Me, I started getting ideas again.


End file.
